Som Saa set for first permanent site

Popular Thai pop-up Som Saa is set to open its first permanent site in Spitalfields, London, this Spring, following a successful crowdfunding campaign that saw it raise £700k in three days.

The restaurant has been selling out its yearlong residency at Climpson’s Arch in London Fields, and now owners Andy Oliver, Mark Dobbie and Tom George are taking their concept to a former fabric warehouse on Commercial Street.

The menu at the pop-up focuses on the North and North-East of Thailand, but the permanent restaurant will showcase dishes from around all of the Thai regions, and will serve up to 80-covers. Created by co-head chefs Oliver and Dobbie, it will include dishes such as Gaeng Daeng Moo Yang, which is red curry of grilled pork, green banana, and holy basil. The wok section will include Pad Char Ahaan Talay, a combination of stir fried prawns, clams and squid with lime leaves.

Dobbie said: “​We're moving som saa to a more accessible part of East London but we will definitely be keeping the big flavours and the buzzy, fun vibe we had at Climpson's Arch”

Oliver said: “We're super excited to finally have our own som saa kitchen, which we will be fitting out with wok burners for stir fries and specialist kit to make our own daily fresh coconut cream and bespoke curry pastes.”

In September Oliver told BigHospitality that once the trio have their permanent location up and running they will look to expand the business.

“Our thing has always been that we want to start with one restaurant and get that right first and make that a success before we go chatting too much about a second restaurant. First things first: open up Som Saa, the HQ, but once we’ve got that then look to other opportunities,” he said.

“We think there are lots of opportunities with Thai food, our brand and the kind of food we want to do. We’d be interested in opening other projects be they a little bar, or a noodle place or another Som Saa in a different location. They’re all possibilities for us and things we want to explore but it’s always been a case of getting this right before we go running ahead of ourselves.”